Chris Tanev is set to return to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ blue line this season after missing most of 2025-26, and general manager John Chayka says the veteran defenseman is in strong shape heading into training camp.
Speaking at the team’s media day ahead of 2026 training camp, Chayka said Tanev was “as healthy as anybody,” and added, “He had a good summer,” Chayka said of Tanev’s status. “He had a pretty large surgery to finish [last] season and has had an amazing recovery. I feel really confident that his injuries are in a good place; he’s as healthy as anybody.”
Tanev, 26, was limited to 11 games last season because of various ailments and finished with two assists. His last appearance came on Dec. 25, 2025, in an overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators. Nearly 10 months later, he is preparing for the 2026-27 season, the third year of a six-year contract that carries an average annual value of $4.5 million and includes a full no-movement clause.
Toronto will be hoping for a steadier run from Tanev after a blue line that struggled last season, when the Maple Leafs gave up 299 goals in 82 games. That total ranked second worst in the NHL, with only Tanev’s former team, the Vancouver Canucks, allowing more at 316.
In his first season with Toronto in 2024-25, Tanev produced three goals and 15 assists in 75 games. That was the second-most games he has played in a single regular season, behind only the 82 he logged with the Calgary Flames in 2021-22.
The upcoming season will be Tanev’s 16th in the NHL, dating back to his debut with Vancouver in the 2010-11 campaign. Across 878 career regular-season games with the Canucks, Flames, Dallas Stars and Maple Leafs, he has recorded 36 goals, 174 assists and 210 points.
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